Step free access at London Underground stations

Caroline Pidgeon: Please state the reasons why step free access was not completed at Cockfosters, Amersham, Ickenham, Wimbledon Park, Debden, Osterley, Hanger Lane, Northolt, Sudbury Hill, Harrow-on-the Hill and Burnt Oak London Underground stations by the end of 2019/2020 despite TfL website stating as recently as February 2020 that they would become step free by the end of 2019/2020. Further to your answer in 2020/0359 please also state the current revised dates, by month, that these stations will finally become step free.

The Mayor: A programme of this size will inevitably encounter complications. In many locations the teams uncovered buried power cables or drainage channels that were not shown on station plans or identified during surveys. All had to be assessed and then removed or relocated. TfL has also had to navigate planning application restrictions at some sites, which have led to increased delivery times. In addition, given all TfL projects were subject to a Safe Stop due to the coronavirus outbreak, this has further added to the complications of the programme.
TfL is assessing the impact of the coronavirus on the step-free programme – both from a financial and project perspective – and will provide further information once this work is complete.